Six-year-old found safe after hour-long search in Milton

MILTON — A six-year-old child was found safe with relatives after a roughly hourlong search by several area emergency responders Saturday night.

After numerous departments set up a command post along White Mountain Highway Saturday evening for reports of a missing child, Milton police reported the child was located and returned home safely.

Milton Police Lt. Richard Krauss said a 6-year-old girl was reported missing at about 6 p.m. Police responded to the area of 96 White Mountain Highway, according to scanner activity, and a full blown search commenced. Krauss said officials were actively searching the area around the child’s home near the Rochester-Milton town line.

But just after 7 p.m., Krauss said the family located the juvenile and she was returned. He referred to the case as a “miscommunication” with involved family and stressed the child was never actually missing.

Scanner reports said the girl was staying at a relative’s house.

New Hampshire State Police along with departments from Farmington, Middleton, Rochester and Milton Fire & Rescue were called in for support. A K9 unit from Rochester was searching the area as a New Hampshire Fish and Game K9 unit was dispatched to the area to assist.

Officials also had a helicopter “on standby” for an airborne search, Krauss said, but the aircraft was never deployed.